Speak Easy, Speak Love by McKelle George

I loved picking up on the little mentions of the story that she added in. George also did an amazing job between weaving the original tale and the new elements. I backed and rooted for each one of them. This is where I get the SOC vibes from – George put that level of dedication and detail to each of these characters, making them feel lush and alive. I was even invested in Claude, Dogberry, and Leo.

Prince, Hero, Maggie (I LOVE LOVE LOVE HER), and the delightfully complicated John. I kept thinking, well, I only liked Benedict and Beatrice from the first novel, so I will only like Benedick and Beatrice here, but instead she gave us SO MANY TO LOVE.

She gives us a large cast of them, and they were each intriguing, dynamic, and complex. I will be buying anything from her in the future. She has perfected her art already, and she got me to read every little bit of this 432 page book. I am in disbelief this is a debut novel, because it seems like this book came from a writer who had been knocking out books for years. Where do I even begin? George has a wonderful voice. I never thought these words would ever come out of my mouth, but this book really makes me want to read Shakespeare again. Everything about it was so good: the writing, the characters, the setting, the descriptions, the parallels between the original play. I have no clue how that even works, but OH MY GOSH IT DID. This book was Six of Crows meets Shakespeare plus The Great Gatsby. I knew this book was going to be spectacular, but I was not prepared for this. For fans of Jenny Han, Stephanie Perkins, and Anna Godbersen. Hilariously clever and utterly charming, McKelle George’s debut novel is full of intrigue and 1920s charm. Despite all their worries, the summer is beautiful, love is in the air, and Beatrice and Benedick are caught up in a romantic battle of wits that their friends might be quietly orchestrating in the background. Beatrice’s cousin, Hero, runs a struggling speakeasy out of the basement-one that might not survive the summer.Īlong with Prince, a poor young man determined to prove his worth his brother, John, a dark and dangerous agent of the local mob Benedick, a handsome trust-fund kid trying to become a writer and Maggie, a beautiful and talented singer Beatrice and Hero throw all their efforts into planning a massive party to save the speakeasy. But Hey Nonny Nonny is more than just a rundown old mansion. Six teenagers’ lives intertwine during one thrilling summer full of romantic misunderstandings and dangerous deals in this sparkling retelling of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.Īfter she gets kicked out of boarding school, seventeen-year-old Beatrice goes to her uncle’s estate on Long Island.

Speak Easy, Speak Love by McKelle George